A common myth cited as a reason for not getting the flu shot is that the shot will give you the flu. That is scientifically impossible. Here’s why.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Flu series 2018
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The flu shot is most effective if you receive it by the end of October. With 80,000 deaths from flu during last year’s flu season, a doctor explains why you should act now.
Regular hand washing is important not only to keep from getting the flu but also to prevent passing it to others, such as young children and seniors, who may be even more vulnerable. Here’s how.
Part of the problem was a mismatch between the influenza strains circulating and the vaccine available. Here’s how annual flu shots are formulated.
It’s not a matter of if, but when, the next deadly pandemic will strike. Will the world be ready?
Vaccination against the flu is the best way to stop its spread, but a recent study suggests increasing air circulation and cleaning surfaces to remove the virus from the environment.
No one then knew a virus caused the 1918 flu pandemic, much less that animals can be a reservoir for human illnesses. Now virus ecology research and surveillance are key for public health efforts.
The 1918 flu pandemic has long puzzled those who study disease outbreaks. Why was it so severe? While that question is hard to answer, one thing is certain: Vaccines would have lessened the toll.
One hundred years after a strange and devastating pandemic, researchers comb for clues in dusty libraries, church records and long- forgotten books.
With many men ‘missing’ from the population in the aftermath of the 1918 flu, women stepped into public roles that hadn’t previously been open to them.
Flu virus mutates so quickly that one year’s vaccine won’t work on the next year’s common strains. But rational design – a new way to create vaccines – might pave the way for more lasting solutions.
Anyone who’s had the flu can attest that it makes them feel horrible. But why? What is going on inside the body that brings such pain and malaise? An immunologist explains.
Science has come a long way in the 100 years since the worst flu pandemic in history. But that doesn’t mean that the country is ready for another health disaster.
Don’t believe these 10 common myths about the 1918 Spanish flu.
Top contributors
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Associate Dean For Global One Health, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences; and Director, Pandemic and Biosecurity Policy Program, Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University
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Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
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Professor Emerita of Biology, Indiana University
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Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical & Physical Biology, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University
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Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory University and Adjunct Professor Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh
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Doctoral Candidate in Microbiology, University of Oregon
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Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University
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Research Fellow, American University School of Public Affairs
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Associate Professor of Law, Wayne State University
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Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
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Ph.D. Student in Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University
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Professor of Mathematical Epidemiology, Georgia State University
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Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs and Executive Professor, Texas A&M University
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Professor, Roskilde University
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Professor, Virginia Tech
